APC members threatened in PDP states, says Oshiomhole

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over threats to the lives of its members in states controlled by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole accused the police in those states of aiding such actions.

Oshiomhole, who spoke with reporters at the end of a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), said six committees to visit the six geopolitical zones had been set up with a view to resolving some of the crisis in those states.

Oshiomhole said the APC chairman in Enugu State narrowly escaped an assassination, his police orderly was hospitalised and one of the leaders of the party kidnapped in Rivers state was found dead, saying “this is very disturbing to us”.

He accused the Akwa Ibom state police Commissioner of colluding with the governor to eject six members of the APC from the House of Assembly  against the rule of law.

Oshiomhole said: “The other issue is a very disturbing issue from a couple of states where the PDP is using state instruments even though they are the loudest to talk about the police. They are using the police as they like to undermine the basic fundamental rights of members of the APC in their states.

“A typical example is what happened today in Akwa Ibom state where the commissioner of police colluded with the governor to forcibly eject APC members from the House of Assembly.

“The Commissioner went beyond his bound of duty to aid and abate what is clearly wrong. It is not the business of the police to assist political authority to impose their own biases with regard to the composition of the house.  We have a judicial as well as law and order and the police are to obey court order and not to go beyond that. We are also witnessing some very sad developments.

“As we approach the election,  we should talk on issues and people should market themselves and tell us why we should vote them particularly when there are no new players on parade.

“You said you will create 10 million jobs. You should tell us what happened when you were in government that textile factories closed down and we lost a number of industries.  These are the issues we want to engage and it will be an interesting season for the media.”

Oshiomhole added: “We are even happy that given the size of our party, we have issues in a few places,  much of which have already been resolved. Compare that what is happening in a small party like the SDP who are in court over who is the appropriate Presidential candidate or compare that to PDP who have about two governorship candidates in some states. I believe we are still ahead in terms of internal peace.

“We reviewed the recent elections and we are proud to say that since the NWC was elected in June,  we have not lost any major election.  We have done rerun elections twice in Katsina and  Bauchi and won. Even more outstanding for me and the APC is the humiliating defeat that Senator Bukola Saraki suffered in the hands of Kwara people who are determined to dismantle his failed attempt to install his own variance of a political culture in which he is the only constant decimal.

“Consider that he is the proclaimed leader of PDP and he has had to lead election in another state, here is a native doctor who was unable to heal his own people. For us, that defeat in Kwara was very key, particularly through a candidate that was put in place not by anybody close to Saraki and he won.

“I have said that society is held together by peace and progress in a democracy “jot only through the rule of law, but also through strong ethical commitments and strong nomadic values. Of course,  complete adherence to core values and principles of democracy preaches that majority rule.

“So, we are not going to accept a Nigeria variance where a minority party presides over the affairs of the National Assembly whether represented by Saraki or Yakubu Dogara.  They just must vacate their seats because it is not right.

“For me, this was simple an issue of principle and he went on to say that I have no moral right to talk about morality and that I should resign from politics.  What the people of Kwara have done is that they will not give him the opportunity of resigning.

“They are going to politically bury him and he has seen the first warning signals. By February next year, Senator Saraki will be politically retired by the good people of Kwara state. He has mismanaged their political life, economy and society over the past years. We think this is something worth celebrating.”